New Hope
by Jadejewel
Summary: After an antiLeague organization raids her labroom at the League of Higher Living and manages to free everybody except herself, Kayta must find her own way to escape the League. Once free she must decide whether to help the fighters or to strike out alone
1. 1: Kayta

Human at Heart

_To the League of Higher Living,_

_I understand that your establishment is not as appreciated or well-funded as your sister establishments, the Institute of Higher Living and the School of Higher Living. In view of your excellent work with the limited funds and test subjects which you have, I am willing to aid your research in any way I can. As a token of my great esteem for your work I am donating a sum of 1000 dollars to the League. I hope it will do for now. Also, since your organization has few such things available to experiment on, I am donating an item for your use. Her name is Kayta._

_Sincerely,_

_A Friend_

People take a lot of things for granted. They don't notice all the common, wonderful things they have been gifted with. Like sunshine. Old Sol's warming rays never entered the cold rooms. Or moonlight either; it never breached the thick walls to caress the calm faces of the sleeping inhabitants of the claustrophobic cubes: the only time the pale, small faces were ever calm.

One of these faces in particular was not calm. Gold-green eyes cut like daggers as the girl brooded over the short-sightedness of those who took things for granted. How could they ignore the brilliant joy of sun on their faces? Of course, she knew she would prefer the soft moonlight of the night. It was her instinct, it was in her blood. Margays were nocturnal animals and their DNA was what had gifted her with two rounded, furry ears nestled in her mouse-brown hair as well as a tail, soft padded feet, and assorted spotted fur patches.

Other than that she looked human, but she knew that her DNA was what decided what she was. A freak. Her DNA told the sorry story: 4 margay, 96 _homo sapien_. Human was the majority, but the beast, the wild cat, was still there, in her heart. "And 100 strange," she muttered to herself.

A voice spoke up from the cramped cubicle beside her. "Feeling sorry for yourself again, Kate?" Lilika asked. Lilika was a 2 ewe experiment; she grew a sheep's white ringlets which had to be sheared periodically and while her knuckles and feet looked normal, they were as hard as a sheep's hoof. Lilika was Kayta's one solid friend, they'd been caged side by side for as long as either of them could remember and their friendship had remained strong no matter what happened to each of them. Even though they were in separate cubicles, they still thought of one another as their shoulder to cry on.

"I have a right to, don't I?" Kayta replied, her fingers curling around the thin metal. "Lika, we're in _cages_ with DNA grafted onto us by psychotic scientists who have nothing better to do than torment and _examine_ us."

This was a common discussion between them; sometimes they began it only because of the familiarity and _safeness_ of it. The arguments were always similar; each girl had developed strong opinions. Lilika was always optimistic, hoping with all her part-human heart and never faltering. She believed in ideals like nobility and decency and other things Kayta had never seen or believed in. Kayta herself was realistic and skeptical, trying not to beat on Lilika's shiny ideals, but doing it anyways.

Lilika continued the argument, repeating familiar concepts. "Well, we have food, don't we? Shelter, relative safety, that's all a body really needs to survive, we just have a few extra issues to deal with."

"Like the fact that we are at the complete mercy of a group of crazed and obsessive scientists?" Kayta replied, leaning back to survey the ceiling through her cage door. There were 76 tiles on that ceiling. She'd counted them enough times in the hours when they were left in their cages. "And I don't know if that slop actually counts as food."

"Not completely at the mercy of them, Kate," Lilika said.

Kayta sighed. "Lika, do you know how likely it is that _they_ are gonna show up and free us? It's a long shot. I'm sorry, but I'm not betting on it. And, come on, it could all just be some League-started lie." _They_ were an anti-League organization who periodically raided the League of Higher Living building and freed experiments. Lilika always spoke of their raids with a glowing admiration. She loved the whispered tales of self-sacrificing heroes who broke in and freed poor suffering experiments. Kayta tried her best to be realistic and not get her hopes up, but sometimes it was hard not to.

Kayta heard Lilika's sigh. "I know, Kate, but still… I can't help hoping." And at that moment, Kayta, eyes downcast, agreed completely, a feeling she soon banished. Wrapping thin arms around her knees, the girl continued fixing the world outside her cage with a margay's green-gold glare.


	2. 2: Rescue

_ORDERS for Squad 5B_

_MISSION: Rescue_

_LOCATION: Northern side of Building 438, Lab 27. _

_COMMANDER'S NOTES: Experiment #94 is to be left untouched. Good luck gentlemen._

Kayta woke to the sound of a door creaking open. Carefully, she peered out into the dark—the fluorescent lights had long since gone off to signal the end of a day—and spotted that, indeed, the door was slowly opening. Knowing she had to be one of the few who had noticed as she had both a margay's acute sense of hearing and night eyes, she whispered into the dark, "Wake up! Lika, someone's here."

A humanoid shape could be seen entering, then another and another. From the sounds, it seemed more waited outside, though they did not enter. Guards, perhaps? Kayta watched the group go from one cage to the next. They were opening the doors with what seemed like lock picks and letting out stumbling, sleepy-eyed freaks like herself. A bird-girl, a turtle-boy, even some poor kid sprinkled with many-colored fish's scales.

She could hear the whispers in the room. They traveled from cage to cage, quieting as one of the lock-pickers raised a finger to his lips, but then rising in volume again. "It's _them_, they've come!" "Really?" "Maybe it's a trick." "No, it can't be…" "We're free!" The last phrase was whispered over and over. They let it roll over their tongues and hang in the air, savoring the taste of it. _Freedom_.

"Kate, _Kate_!" Lilika could hardly contain her excitement it seemed, from her bouncing and jumping and ecstatic voice. "I told you so! I told you we would be freed. I knew it!" Despite her words, her whisper was relieved.

Kayta was enthusiastic too. She leant against her cage door, trying to peer through the thin bars to catch glimpses of the freedom bringers. "Lilika, imagine, we'll sleep under the _moon_ tonight. Maybe we'll see a sunrise in the morning—have you heard about those? One of the boys in our old lab talked about when they got him into testing real early in the morning and he saw one. Said it was like liquid gold, and red and yellow too, all fiery and bright and beautiful." Despite her refusal to hope, Kayta was easily caught up in the excitement of being freed.

They were on Lilika's cage now, hurrying to pick the lock. Kayta heard a muttered curse, like when an experiment bit one of the scientists, then the door swung open. Lilika was eased out and set on her feet. "There you go," one murmured, his voice soft. Lilika was nearly tearing up with joy. "Thank you!" she whispered.

They turned to Kayta's cage, but then they hesitated. One stumbled loudly. Almost as though that was a signal, a whistle rang out: two short ones, then a long one. They turned swiftly, "Time to go. C'mon, girl, this way."

Lilika shook her head. "No! Not until Kayta's freed too." She tugged her hand out of his grasp. He grabbed her around the waist and dragged her with him.

"We have to go," he explained as Lilika struggled and protested. "That means someone's coming. I'm sorry." The figure looked over his shoulder at the only experiment-filled cage which remained. Kayta caught a glimpse of dark eyes. "I truly am."

A cry burst from Kayta. "Take me too! Come back!" Then, in a whisper, "Lilika, don't leave." But the door shut with a thud, leaving her in darkness. Curling into a ball, Kayta cried for the unfairness of it. That she was the one left alone, when freedom had been at her fingertips. She cried for a long time, tears soaking into her shirt and leaving wet trails down her cheeks.

Finally, the tears stopped and her sobs abated. She wiped her face roughly with the back of her hand, furious at herself for crying. In the morning, when the scientists came in to stare, agape, at the empty cages, Experiment #94's face was dry and her eyes were as hard as agates. One thought continued to run through her mind: _That's what you get for hoping_.


	3. 3: Freedom

_Scientists' Log_

_Experiment #94 is showing signs of depression. Less resistance from 94 than before the escape. Eats little and sleeps most times. Will study how margay DNA effects depression. Perhaps a psychiatrist of some sort would be useful? Will have to ask Mr. Rayton for permission. _

The part that hurt the most to Kayta was Lilika's absence. She could deal with the utter disappointment of letting her chance at freedom be taken away from her. She could deal with the other cages being empty—except the one right next to her. Lilika had always been there and the fact that she no longer was pained her for nearly every moment of the day.

There were other pains, too, however, and she tried to block out Lilika's absence with these mundane ones. Her legs were sore from running from hours on end on a treadmill and her skin was red and raw where sensors had been stuck on her. Crossing her complaining legs, Kayta investigated a new development in her freakiness. It seemed that her nails were developing into a margay's sharp claws. Though they looked normal, the edges were sharp and the nail had hardened greatly.

Despite her efforts to block out the memories, they resurfaced. It had been a few weeks since that night, but the memories were clear. So hopeful, then so miserable, then so angry. Now she felt more helpless than ever. She would grow old and die in this tiny box and there was nothing she could do about it.

Or maybe there was something she could do.

Kayta was sure that to rely on the lock-pickers from last night to rescue her would be idiotic and futile. After raiding this lab once, why would they do it again? Also, she was sure that that "trip" was a signal. If they had heard someone coming, why hadn't the scientists arrived until the following morning? The only plausible explanation was that they had left her on _purpose_. So there was no hope in waiting for them to come back. She had to take matters into her own hands.

The next day dawned, or at least the lights flickered on. A scientist entered, also bringing along a pudgy man in a gray suit. "Morning Kayta," the scientist greeted her. "This is Mr. Layson. He'll be talking to you. He's a psychiatrist, so make sure you answer all his questions." Kayta ignored him until he opened the door of her cage. She slid out and crossed her arms, shrugging Layson's hand off her shoulder as he tried to steer her away. He set off and she followed him grudgingly, knowing that if she ran now the scientist would catch her with a drugged dart that they always carried with them.

They entered a room, as empty of personal objects as any room she had seen. However, she was overjoyed to see that the two chairs and single desk were backed by a curtained window. Kayta remained standing as Layson lowered his pudgy self into the second chair. The scientist stayed outside. Layson watched her for a moment, the spoke. "Kayta, I hear there was an escape in your lab room. Now you seem angry. Are you not happy that—that you remain in this place where you are fed and clothed?" It seemed that he had not originally planned to say that. And the sarcasm in his voice at that line clearly told Kayta that he did not agree with his words.

"No. I'm not."

"And why not?"

"I'm not free. And I should be."

"Kayta, how can you change this? It's better to appreciate what you have; don't wish to be abandoned in a harsh world that you do not understand."

Kayta snorted. "Nothing could be worse than here." Her eyes flitted about the room, only half her mind on the psychiatrist's words. Her attention settled on a round paperweight that rested idly on Layson's desk. A smile flickered across her lips.

"You'd be surprised," Layson was saying. Actually, it was the other way around.

Kayta grabbed the paperweight off the desk and smashed it into the glass window—how foolish had they been, putting her in here? Layson didn't even have a dart gun. The window cracked and easily broke away when Kayta slammed it again.

Layson watched with wide eyes.

Kayta leaped through the window with a margay's reflexes and sprinted away with complaining thighs. Behind her, she heard Layson shake himself from his reverie and call for the guards. By then, Kayta was well across the grass that separated the League buildings from the forest beyond.

Kayta could hardly repress a sigh of relief as she entered the shadows of the forest. Glancing back, she saw scientists, looking strange in their white lab coats, and guards heading her way. An instinct from her margay DNA commanded that she get up in the trees and she did so with ease. The girl spared one shocked glance at the hands with which she so easily climbed the tree before crossing to the next tree. Tree by tree she went more deeply into the forest and farther away from the place she had spent so many years.

Finally, she could no longer hear the League guards and scientists stomping along behind her. She let her feet dangle from an oak's shady branch as she surveyed the "harsh world" the psychiatrist had promised. To her it looked more like freedom.


	4. 4: Oatmeal

_Encoded Note ___

_94 has escaped. Went northeast to forest. Please alert those who need to know. Apologize for allowing escape. Conscience had a surprise revolt._

Normally Lilika, like all other sane people, dreaded the morning shift. It meant you had to give up a precious thirty minutes of sleep and head to the kitchens to make breakfast. Today, however, she was thrilled that she had gotten the early shift. If she hadn't, she might not've found this slip of paper covered in markings like chicken scratch, might not've given it the Squad leader of 5A, might not've lingered by the door to hear a few phrases leak out. She hadn't heard much, but what she had heard had tacked a grin on her face. Kayta had escaped! The details of the night she'd been freed had stuck in her mind: one of which was the number engraved in the plaque above her friend's cage, 94.

Thinking of that night was able to dim her smile somewhat with a few nigglings of guilt, though she herself hadn't exactly done anything. Still, it had been hard not to feel guilty when she was here, enjoying herself and her newfound freedom while Kayta was still trapped behind metal bars and cold walls. But now Kayta, too, was free and surely she could be found and brought to Lilika's new home. Soon it might be Kayta's home, too.

Lilika, realizing she had lingered too long, raced towards the kitchens. Bursting through the double doors, she began a string of excuses. "I'm sorry I'm late, there was this note, and then I had to go all the way down to the A wing..."

The cook, a plump woman with short gray curls, cut her off. "Lilika, don't worry. You're only a few minutes late and we're just making oatmeal." Lilika held back a relieved sigh: the cook was known for ruling the kitchen with an iron fist and Lilika counted herself extremely lucky to have been late on one of her good days. She quickly went over to help the other few yawning girls on the morning cooking shift. "Why are you smiling?" one of them asked—another of the League escapees. "It's too early for that."

"Oh, nothing," Lilika said, trying to dim her smile for the girl's sake. "Just feeling good today." Since she wasn't actually supposed to know what the note said, she couldn't say that it was the reason for her happiness. She ducked her head to hide her smile which was widening again and headed to the large cafeteria to set out plates.

In the distance she could hear the sounds of some early risers and she sighed contentedly as she walked along the table distributing her plates. After years of the League, this cluster of buildings was like paradise. When she had been dragged out of the League, they'd taken her here where they gave her a bunk in a room full of other girls and a warm meal. They gave her a choice, she could stay and help them, maybe even one day be in a squad who rescued people like they had, or go her separate way. She'd stayed.

Lilika loved it there. She helped with the cooking and the cleaning and eagerly helped any and all of the people here. This was what she had dreamed about: when she left the League, as she'd always known she would someday, she'd find a place where she could help people—experiments, rather. Of course, her dreams always included Kayta being there too, helping her help people, always ready with a pessimistic comment that was usually very possible and most often correct. Still, this place was wonderful.

But Lilika still found one flaw in it, one she was determined to fix. When she got on a squad and went on rescue missions, she wasn't going to leave anyone behind. No matter what.

She set down the last plate and then turned her blue eyed gaze toward the window and wondered when Kayta would arrive. 

At that moment, Kayta was just waking up. She yawned and ran a hand through scraggly, tangled brown locks. Blinking her gold-green eyes, she peered out through the leaves. The sun was bright and shining. She'd missed the sunrise. "Oh, well, maybe tomorrow. At least I can see the sun. And I can remember the moon." She smiled. Her margay blood had kicked in (margays were nocturnal), keeping her up late. She had been mesmerized and awed by the millions of sparkling gems clustered in the giant expanse of sky. Pure beauty. And then the diamond sliver of moon. She smiled again.

Her reverie was broken by the sound of leaves crackling under softly stepping feet. Her ears twitched forward to catch the sound at the same moment she instinctively headed up a tree trunk and into the safe branches above. Kayta peered down through the leaves and was surprised to see a group rather close to her. Her senses should've surely warned her before now, but these men—and women, too, she saw—were walking expertly over the leaves. She was lucky to have heard them at all.

They walked right under her and she was surprised to see that they were not League men, for they were freaks like her, with beasts in them. One—a floppy-eared-dog-boy—heard or smelled her, she wasn't sure which. His head darted up. "She's up there." So they were looking for her. But why? Surely no experiments would try to bring her back to the League.

Kayta tried to scamper further up into the tree. "Hey, it's alright," dog-boy said. "We're gonna take care of you. We won't hurt you." Kayta felt the urge to growl, to scare away these enemies, but suppressed it. She would _not_ act like a beast.

One of the others in the group laughed. "You're probably frightening her. Margays are felines, you know, and you are a canine. Here, let me." He stepped out of the group and looked up. Kayta nearly fell out of her branch with surprise. The brown eyes now looking up at her were they same deep brown ones she had spotted the fateful night of what seemed like eons ago. Despite the fact he'd dragged Lilika off, and left her alone, she still felt a slight, slight, slight bit of trust for him. After all, he had been sorry and it didn't seem like any of the others had been. What also surprised her was that he was the only person in the group who did not have a beast in him.

"Like he said, we're not going to hurt you. We promise. Just come down. We won't force you to come with us, either. Just come down and we'll talk." He paused. "Some of the other people in your lab room are where we are going."

"Is...is Lilika there? 2 ewe...?"

"Her? Yeah. She's staying with us. I think she's the one who found the note saying that you'd got out. Would you come down now please Kayta?" 

Kayta bit her lip. "Tell me your name first, since you know mine." 

"Benjamin Rayton. Ben."

She slid down the base of the tree to lean against the trunk nervously, ready to leap back up at any minute. Ben smiled at her. "If you come with us you don't have to stay. You can leave anytime you want. Just follow us, alright?" Kayta paused hesitantly, then nodded. The group started off, her walking nervously between them.

Finally they reached the cluster of building which looked a bit friendlier than the pristine cold ones that made of the League. A familiar curly head poked out of a doorway and then Kayta found herself hugged fiercely by a grinning Lilika. "Kate! Finally!" Lilika sent a reproving glance at the group. "What took you so long? I feel like I've been waiting for hours."

Dog-boy chuckled. "Well she's hard to find, this Kayta. And she's even harder to convince when you look like this."

Lilika hugged her again, then released her and began dragging the slightly shell-shocked Kayta toward the door. "Kate, you look like you haven't eaten in days." Lilika giggled. "I guess all that helping in the kitchen has caught up with me."

Kayta was able to find her voice and ask "What _is_ this place, Lika?"

Lilika smiled. "Come inside and I'll explain over a warm bowl of oatmeal." Kayta's stomach grumbled at the thought.


	5. 5: Explanations

**This is mostly just Lika talking, but, oh well. It's kinda necessary, otherwise you lot wouldn't know what was what.**

_Encoded message ___

_Situation has been much improved. Warning was appreciated. The subject has been located and captured. ___

_Please send info from League databases concerning our Jr. Sergeant of Squad 5B. ___

_Commander_

Kayta took a tentative bite of the oatmeal and almost fainted with delight. She'd had no food after her escape and this warm delicious meal felt like heaven. Still shoveling oatmeal in, she glanced up at Lilika who was giggling uncontrollably. The ewe-girl calmed down and suppressed her giggles so that she could talk normally. "You want to know about this place, Kate?"

Kayta nodded. When was the last time she had had _warm_ food? Heavenly, it was, absolutely heavenly.

Lilika drummed her fingers against her chin, trying to find a way to describe Camp 5 of the ALFF. "Remember how we always talked about the people who came and freed experiments? Well, these buildings belong to them and the people here are part of their organization."

"Well, I guessed that. You said the people who freed you brought you here and it's rather simple to put one and one together and get two." She scrapped the bottom of her bowl with a spoon to get another mouthful of warm--though now quickly cooling--oatmeal.

Lilika rolled her blue eyes. "Just shush Kate, I'm trying to make it simple." She glanced at the ceiling to relocate her train of thought then continued. "Well, the members of the ALFF are--" 

"ALFF?" Kayta interrupted.

"Anti-league Freedom Fighters. Now, shush, please." Lilika sent a playful glare Kayta's way. "They free experiments but they also wreck League plans, steal supplies, and just cause mayhem wherever and whenever they can. When experiments are freed they are given the choice of joining the ALFF or leaving. If they leave they get supplies for a few days, if they stay then they help the ALFF and possibly one day even be on a Squad." Lilika's eyes glittered with enthusiasm and Kayta knew she would have no luck convincing her friend to leave. Kayta did not really want to stay with the people who had abandoned her, but if Lilika stayed...

"Lemme guess; you're staying, Lika?" Kayta asked, though she knew the answer.

Lilika nodded. "Kate, it's wonderful. When you see the poor experiments coming in... we must've been in the easy section or something because some of them make you think they might not survive the night, let alone have managed the walk from the League buildings. When you see them come in, with those hopeful eyes and the sincere and totally grateful thank you's when all you're doing is ladling out soup. It's pure beauty."

Kayta remembered that she had used that phrase mere hours--or minutes, she wasn't sure,--ago. Her "pure beauty" was the unreachable moon, giving her light in the dark night. Lilika's "pure beauty" was the grateful look on a child's face as _she_ gave _them_ food; life; light. But, then, that was her and Lilika: best friends, total opposites.

Something seemed to occur to Lilika and she looked worriedly at Kayta. "You are staying, right? You're not... not leaving because they left you? I left you?" Her voice trembled.

Kayta reached a hand across the lay it on Lilika's. "Lika, how could I possibly leave you? Best friends, remember? Nothing can keep us apart. Besides," she added, eyeing her now empty bowl. "How could I leave food like this behind? D'you think there's another bowl of this somewhere for me?"

Lilika smiled in gratitude and picked up Kayta's bowl. "I'll go get you another one." Kayta smiled back and Lilika headed off in the direction of the kitchens. Kayta glanced around the room, her margay's eyes picking up little meaningless details. Her eyes paused on Ben's dark-haired head and she stared curiously for a moment before letting her eyes roam once more.

He had a last name, she remembered. Kayta wondered what it was like to have a last name. It gave you an identity, a history, a part of humanity to call your own. The only part of humanity she could call her own was not actually a part of humanity. Last names meant you had parents and a family, or at least once had one. Kayta shot an envious glance at Ben Rayton, which reminded her that he had both a last name--and therefore a history--_and_ was fully human. Lucky.

Sighing, Kayta turned back to see Lilika approaching with a warm bowl. "Thanks Lika!" she exclaimed, already reaching for her spoon.

Lilika laughed and set it down on the table. "So, wanna hear some more?" Kayta nodded. "Alright, well. The ALFF is run by a Commander. I think he stays at Camp 1 or somewhere. Anyways, a Camp Leader has the next rank: there's one in each Camp. And there's five Camps," she added before Kayta could swallow and interrupt. "Then there are A, B, and C Squads at each Camp, so, Squad 1A, 1B and 1C are at Camp 1. Make sense so far? Each Squad had a Squad sergeant and Jr. Sergeant."

"What Camp are we at?" Kayta managed to say between bites. "I haven't eaten in awhile," she added defensively.

"I know. We're at Camp 5. Squad 5B was the one that brought me here. Actually, they were the Squad that brought you here too. 5B probably goes on missions the most. 5A is mainly into running the Camp and 5C is full of beginners. I'm gonna be in 5B one day," Lilika confided. "Or at least I want to be. Imagine! Saving people, helping them..." she smiled dreamily.

Kayta looked down. Didn't seem like heroes to her. Just cowards who couldn't wait three seconds to free one last cage. Or sneaky liars who abandoned her on purpose.

Lilika noticed her look. She leaned forward and said quietly. "When I'm in a Squad, Kate, no one gets left behind. I promise."

Kayta looked back up and smiled at her friend; her best friend; her only friend. "Thanks Lika."


	6. 6: Roommates

**My first actual **_**long**_** post. Yay!**

**I'd really love it if you guys posted any guesses you might have about where this going or whatever. Foreshadowing and hinting and such is **_**not**_** one of my strong points. I know what is going to happen, so I'm not sure what reading this is like to people who _don't_ know what's going to happen. So, if you're reading and think to yourself **_**Of course! I see it: they're all going to get eaten alive by a horde of dragons! **_**then please post it in a review or mail me. Thanks! **

_Room: 6_

_Bunk: 4-Top_

_Shift: see schedule board_

Kayta held a slip of paper in her hand, continually glancing down at it and then up at her surroundings. Where was this Room 6? She glanced up again. Where was _she_? Outside the room where she'd been given the slip—that she knew—but she wasn't sure where she was in relation to, say, the front door. _Will you stop thinking about that?_ she chided herself. _You can't run, not now. You're a part of this now._

_No I'm not! I'm just staying here. That's all. That's _all

It was true. While Kayta had decided to stay in Camp 5—with Lilika—she had not joined the ALFF and was not planning on doing it in anytime during the near future—or ever, if she had her way. They'd done nothing to change her opinion of them as cowards or liars. Lilika saw this easily and decided that she needed to at least make Kayta glad to—or at least willing to—aid the ALFF and their noble cause. The ewe-girl told Kayta that she'd get on her new challenge as soon as possible.

Now the 4 margay eyed the paper again. She contemplated going back in and asking for directions, but decided against it. Her chin stubbornly stuck out and her shoulders squared, she began her quest. After several minutes of wandering she was beginning to think she was going in circles. After several minutes more, she was sure that she was. After even more time, she decided that it might've been smart to ask someone for directions. Kayta plopped down on the floor and leant against the wall, closing her eyes to try and remember what route she had taken. She almost had it when a nearby footstep startled her. She bounded up to glance at the young man who had so easily snuck up on her.

"I'm sorry," Ben apologized. "I didn't realize I would frighten you. You look lost. Want some help?"

"It's alright." She paused as she took in the rest of his words; she'd been a little flustered when he'd said them. "I am lost. And…I suppose I could use some help." Part of her mind screamed at her. _What are you doing_, it asked, _letting one of the Squad that _abandoned_ you help you. Shun him and turn away, ask someone else for help, girl._

_Well_, another part protested quietly. _At least he was sorry._

_As if_. But it shut up and sulked in a moody silence.

"I'm trying to find" –she peered at her paper—"Room 6."

He nodded. "This way." Ben set off at a steady pace, Kayta tagging along behind him, looking enviously at his pure human features. _Lucky_, she thought again.

Ben stopped at a door with a small 6 rudely carved on it. Apparently the ALFF had limited funds, Kayta surmised, thinking of the gold-colored numbers engraved on League doors. But she also remembered days where food couldn't be bought due to budget limits. It would be just like the League to spend money on fancy door numbers and less on experiments' foods.

"Here you are, Kayta. I'll see you around sometime." And Ben walked off, hands in his pockets, whistling a tune. She blinked. He'd remembered her name? Then she shrugged. She'd remembered his after all. Kayta turned and stepped into the Rm. 6 barracks.

It was deserted. Her roommates were probably out helping and working or whatever it was that they did. The room, though empty, left clear evidence of the girls who resided in it. There were four bunk beds, therefore eight girls now that she had joined them. She guessed which one was bunk #4 by the cleanliness of the unrumpled bedspread. Kayta easily scaled the ladder and perched on the thin railing of her new bed to peer down and examine her new room.

Room. Bed. They seemed strange to her. She was so used to words like lab; cage; prison. Words like room and bed were associated with happy things, fairy stories. Impossible dreams. Lilika was the one who believed that they would be able to one day use those words regularly; Kayta had never allowed herself to think that.

Casting her gold-green eyes down again, she noted that each bed seemed to have a distinct personality. The bottom bed of the bunk diagonally across from her was rumpled and totally unmade. Kayta's sharp eyes spotted some little things that caught the light coming through the window, but she soon moved on. The bed above that bed was slightly better made, and held much fewer, though some, of the sparklies.

The next upper bunk—straight across from her—was made uncaringly, just pulled up so that nothing could creep into the sheets. That bunk was totally impersonalized, just kept tidy so as to be a place to sleep.

The bunk below it was a different story. It was well made, tucked in at the corners, as well as being very individual. It was probably a child's bunk as it was displaying a collection of dolls and other such toys. There were dolls of yarn, of cloth strips, even one of two carved from wood.

The bunk bed that was on the same wall as her was what she turned to next. The upper bunk was rumpled like it had once been made fairly well, but then sat on by its owner again. A white curl lay have tucked beneath the pillow. Kayta picked it up between two fingers and grinned. She should've known that she would be put in Lilika's room. How many ewe-girls could be in ALFF's Camp 5?

Below that bunk was another that Kayta had to lean slightly to see. Along its railing was a collection of shells and river- and sea-stones.

Next Kayta leaned forward to peer down below her own bed. It was even more messed that the first bed had been. The sheet was shoved to the bottom of the bed, the blanket slipping off the edge to hide some of itself under the shadows of the bed. Even the mattress was slightly off centered and it didn't seem like the person who the bed belonged to really cared.

The door opened and a curly white head peeked through. Kayta grinned. "Hi Lilika. Guess which room I got?"

Lilika squealed and hugged her tightly once Kayta had nimbly leaped down from the railings. A curly yellow-haired blur sped past the two friends, followed by an older blonde girl who was slowly jogging. "You beat me, Cub, you beat me."

The smaller child laughed, plopped down on the toy covered bed and glanced at the newcomer. "Who's she?"

"This is Kayta," Lilika told her. "She's 4 margay. Kayta, this is Jenelle. We call her Cub. And this is her big sister, Pride. Pride is 3 lion." Kayta now glanced at features which were rimmed by golden fur. "Cub never got _added_ to—that's the polite way of saying it I've been told—they were going to wait until she was older."

Another group came through the door, two fish-girls. One was noticeably more _added to_ than the other, she was swathed mostly in scales and her hands had apparently tried to change into fins, though hadn't totally succeeded. The other girl only had a few speckles of sparkly fish scales—Kayta guessed that the "glittery beds" were theirs.

"This is Fry," Lilika said, pointing to the heavily scaled and scowling girl. "She's 5 freshwater trout. And this is Minnow who's 1." The smaller and more cheerful of the two smiled at Kayta and then went back to trying to cheer up her friend. "Fry," Lilika explained, "Is grumpy about most everything. Minnow's always cheery though. They were in the same lab group like us and they look out for each other."

While Lilika was doing her introductions, another girl had popped in. "Aren't you gonna introduce me, Lika? Don't need to introduce Kayta, though, I heard you fine." The girl stuck out her hand and shook Kayta's. "I'm Shelly, I've heard all about you." Gesturing to her distinct features, she added, "2 otter." Leaning forward, she said with a loud whisper, "That means I'm the only one who knows how to have fun."

The little girl—Jenelle—protested. "Shel, I know how to!" Shelly laughed and picked her up. "Cub, I was teasin'. I know you know how. That sister of yours though." She winked at the lion-girl, Pride, "I don't know about her."

"Well, I guess Shel has introduced herself." Lilika looked out into the hallway. "There's one more of us: she should be here any second." A dark haired girl walked in, eyes downcast, glancing up once at Kayta before looking down again. "This," Lilika said, "is Lark. She's 2 lark," she added, nodding at the girl's wings. "She doesn't talk. She's had some bad experiences." Lark sat on the bed below Kayta's bunk. Kayta smiled feebly at her and got a blank stare in reply.

"We were here because we've got a bit of free time," Lilika told Kayta, breaking the silence. "You see, lunch isn't for ages and other people are working on clean-up and things. What do you guys think of giving Kayta a tour of this marvelous Camp of ours?"

They agreed and soon were piling out into the corridor: Lilika proudly escorting Kayta in front; Shel behind them, chatting with Jenelle and her sister Pride; Fry and Minnow strolling along next; and Lark following behind them all. Kayta looked back over the crowd and smiled for no reason she could name.


	7. 7: Memories

**I know I sorta switch back and forth between names, so in case any of you are confused, "Cub" and "Jenelle" are the same person. It's just that only Pride calls her Jenelle and so I switch back and forth depending on who's thinking.**

_Encoded Message_

_Do you have my information yet? Before I asked out of mere worry for the ALFF, now I think the info may actually be useful. He has been a good Jr. Sergeant, but he may be more useful if we can convince him to convince someone else to help our cause. Please, please, please find some dirt on our young fighter._

_Commander_

Kayta was woken by sobs. Her eyes opened to darkness and she sat up, peering around with a margay's nocturnal eyes. Her ears twitched. The sound came from the bunk below her. Listening carefully, Kayta could make out words mixed in with Lark's sobs. Mostly the words were along the lines of "no" and "stop" and "you evil monsters". Kayta leaned over the side of her bed to spot Lark tossing and turning, leaving tears on her sheets. She heard a rustle beside her and glanced over to see Lilika smiling sadly at her.

"It's the only time she talks," she murmured. "Sometimes when I wake up and listen for awhile, I feel like crying with her. And then finding whoever did this to her and throwing _him_ into a cage." Lilika's voice hardened and her eyes flashed.

Kayta decided that the way she'd thought of her friend before wasn't really accurate. She'd thought of Lilika as soft, full of sweet ideals and gentle words. She'd been wrong. Lilika might have gentle words in her, as well as ideals, but she wasn't as soft as she seemed.

Lark seemed to hear them, for she woke with a start and glanced up at them. Her eyes, black as coal in the darkness, seemed almost empty as her pallid face took on its normal emotionless expression. Then, closing her eyes, the winged girl went back to sleep. Lilika and Kayta glanced at each other and did the same.

A small weight bounced onto Kayta's bunk. Kayta blinked open her eyes. When she sat up she saw that the little girl—Jenelle—had climbed onto her bunk and was now regarding her with a smile. "Hello?" Kayta asked uncertainly.

"It's time to wake up sleepy-head," Jenelle told her matter-of-factly. "We've got the breakfast shift again."

Kayta glanced around. Only Pride—the lion-girl, Jenelle's big sister—and Lilika were up. Kayta leaped down from her bunk to land softly on her toes and saw that her assumption was incorrect. Lark sat on her bed, silent as always, and staring dismally at the ground. She glanced up once at Kayta, then down again.

Kayta heard a cheerful giggle as Jenelle continued her route to each bed, gleefully waking each occupant. Shelly tousled to girl's blonde locks; Minnow sat up, rubbed sleep from her eyes and clambered down the ladder; Fry growled and hid her head under blankets. "It's too early," the fish-girl complained.

Eventually the eight girls made it to the kitchen where a lady informed them that "it's oatmeal again, girls." Lilika assured Kayta in a whisper, "It's _always_ oatmeal." They began to move about the kitchen, their work interrupted by yawns and quiet murmuring. The cook did not approve of loud noises. Kayta followed Lilika around, trying to figure out how exactly one made oatmeal.

When they had finished, Kayta helped Pride carry the large pots to a counter facing the eating room. Kayta had not been much help in the kitchen, so she was issued the job of ladling out the warm mess of oatmeal. A few early risers trickled in and Kayta was soon only letting miniscule amounts drip onto the counter from her ladle. The stream thickened to a flood and Fry was sent to help Kayta deal with the inundation of hungry experiments and the one or two normal people that belonged to the ALFF.

One of these normal people grinned as he saw Kayta with her hair pulled back, ladling out the breakfast meal. As he held out a bowl, Ben Rayton asked her, "So, they've recruited you now?"

Kayta made a face. "Not yet and as far as I'm concerned I'm not being recruited by anyone."

"You never know," he said, "It's surprising how good the ALFF is at convincing people."

"What, do they tie you up and threaten you?" Kayta asked. "Because I don't think that would make me any more inclined to join. If they can go back in time and fix their mistakes, then they might be able to win me over. _Might_."

Ben laughed and moved away; the people behind him were beginning to complain at the blockage. Kayta ladled oatmeal into yet another bowl and watched as he sat. _Why_, she wondered, _did someone who the League had not made into an experiment fight for the ALFF's cause?_ Maybe she'd ask Lilika. She'd know.

After breakfast the Room 6 girls headed to a small river at the edge of the Camp. Shelly jumped in immediately, as did Fry and Minnow. Jenelle was held back by her sister, Pride, who told her to stay close to Shelly. "If you drown you will be in big trouble," she warned.

Shelly called from the water, "Come on Cub; don't let your mean old sister scare you. You've got two fishes and an otter looking after you."

Pride, cat that she was, stayed out of the water, as did Kayta, Lark, and Lilika. Pride slept in the shade of a nearby tree and Lark brooded as Kayta and Lilika talked. "What Squad is Ben in?" Kayta asked.

"Remember how I told you that 5B is the most active Squad? Well, Ben is probably the most active one in 5B. He's the Jr. Sergeant, but some people—" Lilika didn't have to say who "—think he should be Sergeant. Why?"

"I was just wondering. Lika, why is it, do you think, that he does what he does. I mean, what did the League ever do to him?"

"I don't know," Lilika informed her. "But I think he does it because he knows that the League does bad things and the right thing to do is to try and stop it from doing those things."

"I don't think so Lika. Why would someone spend their life fighting something that hasn't hurt them? It's got to be something more."

"_I_ would, Kate. I'd fight against something evil, even if it hadn't hurt me," Lilika said. "And I think you would too. Cynical as you are, you've got a heart, just like everyone else. If you found a cause, you'd fight for it, even if whatever you were fighting hadn't done anything to you."

Kayta shook her head. She knew Lilika well enough to know that she would not back down now. The margay-girl let the conversation drift to another subject, there was no real point in continuing the discussion for Kayta would also not back down. She hugged her knees to her chest and stared over the water. Kayta knew that she would never fight for a cause that had nothing to do with her. If she didn't fight for herself, why would she fight for someone else?


	8. 8: Dirt

**This one's really short, sorry. **

_Encoded Message_

_Information located. See attached. I think it qualifies as "dirt"._

Mr. Layson quickly slapped down a paper that was attempting to fly away on the breeze coming through his window. The League still hadn't gotten a new window for his office and though the breeze was refreshing it did seem to give him trouble keeping papers on his desk. He glanced at the paper and reread it again. From the smudges on it and torn corners one could guess that he had done this many times. He smoothed it out nervously. He should go look for the information the Commander wanted. He claimed it would be "useful". Layson did not like that the Commander thought being able to blackmail someone was more important than protecting the secrets of the ALFF, but it wasn't his place to question the Commander. This Jr. Sergeant could be a League spy hidden in the ALFF like Layson was an ALFF spy hidden in the League.

Sighing, he tucked the encoded message back into his desk drawer and pulled out a different sheet, also encoded. He ran his finger over the printed letter. _Camp Five…Squad B…ah, here it is: Jr. Sergeant_. His eyes moved across the paper to the name of this Jr. Sergeant and his heart almost stopped. _Benjamin Rayton_. Whatever reason the Commander had to asking about this young man, Layson had a pretty good idea of what kind of "dirt" he was going to find.

He stood and slowly exited his office. The hall was empty; most people had left for the evening. He descended a set of stairs as quietly as he could until he reached the basement. Here were several file cabinets which held information on all the League employees. Layson had peered into his own file once upon a time. _Dr. J. Layson…42 years of age…mother: H. Layson…father: N. Layson…No children…_ _degree in psychiatry…_

Now he thumbed through the _R_ section of the League database. _There it is: Rayton_. With trembling hands he drew it out and ran a finger down the page. Part way down it stopped and rested on one line which he read several times to be sure. He had found the Commander's dirt.

Layson hurried up the stairs and down the hall until he reached his office. He drew the door closed behind him and got out a pen and paper. He thought for a moment, his pen hovering over the paper, so that he could get his thoughts in order. Then he began to slowly trace out his message, which was, of course, in code.


	9. 9: Squad 5A

**Long post! Yay.**

_Transfer Orders ___

_Lilika Ewe and Shelly Otter of Room 6 (Volunteers) are to join Squad 5A. Effective immediately._

When Lilika ran over to her during the morning break, Kayta knew something had happened. Lilika looked absolutely thrilled, but Kayta felt a niggling sensation in her stomach. Not much to go on, but enough to make her uneasy. Lilika's words slurred into one. "Guesswhatguesswhatguesswhat???!!" she shrieked, jumping with joy.

"You just drank several liters of coffee?" They'd been introduced to coffee just lately. Lilika had taken to it and it made her rather hyper. Kayta thought it bitter and usually let Fry or some other not-a-morning-person have her share. "Slow down, Lika, I can't understand you."

Lilika took a big breath and then exclaimed, "I was transferred to a Squad! Squad A!" She was bouncing off walls. Figuratively. 

Kayta beamed. "That's great Lika!" So much for her foretelling something bad.

Lilika paused and lowered her gaze nervously. "And, um, that means I have to go to their barracks as well. To sleep and all. And I won't be helping on your shifts; I'll be one different ones."

Kayta blinked. "Oh." Maybe she should've listened to her stomach. She plastered a smile on her face. "That's alright Lika. There's mealtimes and freetime and such. Don't worry: just keep repeating 'I'm in a Squad, I'm in a Squad!' and you'll be alright." 

Lilika beamed, a true smile unlike Kayta's forced one, and threw her arms around Kayta. "Thanks Kate. I'm normally the cheerer-upper. Thanks for cheering me up this time. I've got to go, sorry," she added, turning and sprinting off. She called over her shoulder. "Shelly and I have to report to the barracks."

Kayta watched her best friend run out of sight and then said quietly, "It's no problem, Lika. I owe you a cheering up or two." She, too, turned and walked away, feet dragging. "But I think I need one more than you right now."

Shelly found Kayta later, a smile on the 2 otter's face as always and Jenelle at her heels. "Lika and I are in a Squad!" she told her, beaming wider than ever. "Can you believe it??" She was bouncing off walls as well. But literally.

"Lika told me." Kayta was hurting a bit and Lilika's nickname on Shelly's lips hurt no more or no less than anything else.

Shelly, observant as she was, caught Kayta's melancholy look. She slung a companionable arm around Kayta's shoulders. "Kate, we'll just be a few minutes away. Did you see us that much when you were sleeping? Or when we were working? Other than that it's the same. Except Lika will be happier and I know however much you'll miss her, you want her to be happy. You know as well as I that being in a Squad was her one and only ambition, other than destroying the League and freeing everyone and then going on to solve the rest of the world's troubles." She grinned, allowing Kayta to share the joke. When Kayta spared her a feeble flash of something that could tentively be described as a smile, Shelly continued.

"Be happy for her and live with it, Kate," she said. "Or go tell her that you're disappointed and she'll probably decline from the transfer. But I wouldn't advise it. She'd do it for you and still be her happy self, but I don't know if you could forgive yourself for asking it of her."

Shelly smiled and lifted up Jenelle into a piggy-back; she started to go, then turned back. "Just to let you know, Kate, I'm not stealing her. Lika's got a big heart. She can have me as her friend and still have room in her heart for you. And knowing Lika, she'll still have room for the rest of the world as well." 

Later that week, Squad 5A was sent on a mission and Kayta watched Shelly and Lika and the rest of them disappear into the foliage. When she turned around, not sure whether she was happy for Lilika, worrying for her or sad for herself, she saw Ben standing behind her. "Hey Kayta."

"Hi. What're you doing here?"

"I'm watching 5A traipse off into the wilderness for the first time in a long time. I suppose they had to train all their newbies. Not that I mind. I like going on missions. It's nice to do good things."

"Good. Sure." Memories of the night Lilika had been freed and Kayta had not flashed behind her eyes. She thrust them away and tried to change the subject. She had no right to be angry with Ben. He, at least, had been sorry. "So, you're in Squad 5B right?"

"Yeah." Ben had guessed what had caused her tone. "Listen, Kayta, about that night--"

She cut him off. "Forget about it. I'm trying to. I can't stay mad forever. I need to learn to forgive people."

"Been talking to Lika lately I see." When she lifted her eyes in an unspoken question he told her, "Lilika and I are friends. We have some of the same views on the world and some of the same ideas on how to change it. We started talking because of you actually." 

"Me?" 

"Yeah. You were a very intriguing damsel in distress. I'm a curious fellow. The best way to get info on you was obviously to talk to your best pal and old labmate and present roommate. I had questions and Lilika was obviously the answer. Anyway, we got to talking about you and kept talking when we drifted to other things. Like I said, we share some views and ideas. Besides, who doesn't need a friend?" 

"Lilika sure is popular," Kayta said. "Is there anyone in the world who isn't her friend?"

"Lilika is friendly and nice and optimistic. She also believes very strongly in things. Smiles attract people." He considered her second question thoughtfully, as though he hadn't realized it was rhetoric. "After tonight I have a feeling there will be several scientists who won't be too keen on her."

This startled a chuckle out of Kayta. "Thanks," she said.

He looked surprised. "What for?"

"I needed a laugh," she said. "Lika and I are really close. It'll be strange not being able to just turn and see her every second of every day. It's strange that her heart belongs to more people than just me. It's been just us for a very long time and I hadn't realized that it wasn't anymore until recently."

"There's nothing wrong with having lots of friends. Lika has a lot and I think she likes them a lot to. I also think she deserves them."

"Oh, yes. She does. That's not a question."

"Kayta, this is just my opinion, but I think out of all her friends, you probably mean the most to her. No matter how many friends she makes, you'll always be her first friend and her best one."

This brought a small smile to Kayta's lips. "I wish I was as good at making them as Lika, though. It'll be a bit lonely without her." 

"Why? You and the rest of Room 6 seem close. You look like friends to me." 

"Mostly they keep to themselves. We talk sometimes and are friendly, but I dunno if we're friends. Shelly's very nice, but she's Lika's friend and I think she's just taking pity on me."

"I don't think so. Lika's told me all about your group," he explained. "From her account, Shelly genuinely likes you." He paused. "Um, Kayta? If you get lonely while Lika's gone or you just need to talk or anything, just come see me, alright? I'm told I make a pretty decent friend."

A smile snuck onto Kayta's face. "Thanks, Ben. I'm sure you make a great one." He turned to leave. "Wait. Um, you don't have to call me Kayta all the time you know. My friends call me Kate." 

Several hours later 5A made its triumphant return. The joyfilled faced of recently freed experiments brought out her smile again. But it was Lilika's happiness as she ushered two poor experiment children into the mess hall that made Kayta feel like bouncing off the walls. 

Lilika was only able to shout one sentence to Kayta when she came to help them with the experiments. "Kayta," she called, "no one was left behind."

If Kayta was ever asked to describe that night she would've used only one word. _Perfect_.


	10. 10: Criminal

_ORDERS for Squad 1A_

_MISSION: Capture and Arrest_

_LOCATION: ALFF Camp 5_

_COMMANDER'S NOTES: __Picture and name of the criminal will be distributed by your Squad Sergeant. If criminal resists capture, use of force is granted_

Several weeks after Lilika and Shelly's triumphant return Kayta was sitting in the dining hall, eating breakfast. Ben, whom she now called a friend, sat beside her. He had come back late from a sabotage mission the night before and had skipped dinner. Now he was too busy eating to talk to Kayta, but she didn't mind in the least as she felt like thinking for the moment.

After their conversation a few weeks ago, Ben and Kayta had ran into each other and talked sometimes with Lilika, sometimes without. They had formed a friendship. They talked a lot, but still didn't tell each other everything. Kayta caught Ben several times with a note. He said it was just some orders, but whenever he read this note (or notes) he face paled. She didn't believe him, but she didn't press it. Maybe they were letters from home or something private like that.

Ben had kept her updated on Lilika's training, as had Lilika, and had also taken to sitting with her at meals, where they normally discussed the League, the ALFF, various acquaintances and friends and whatever else came to mind. When their discussions turned to lively arguments, as they often did, they enjoyed it immensely and oft times Lilika and Shelly or one of Kayta' roommates or one of Ben's squad mates would pop over and join the discussion. These could end up anywhere from shouting matches to long, involved philosophical discussions to which everyone contributed but no one seemed to fully understand.

Lilika, as had been promised, was extremely busy those weeks as 5B was only doing a fourth of the missions now and 5A was given the rest. She and Shelly were often seen racing into the mess hall, scarfing down breakfast in three seconds flat and hurriedly apologizing and explaining to their friends before running off again. Lilika would usually manage to spend a few minutes with Kayta every day; though Kayta heard from Ben she would sometimes be tardy because of it. This, strangely, made Kayta feel very happy.

Also during these weeks, Kayta grew closer to her roommates. With Lilika not constantly available, Kayta now realized that what Shelly and Ben had told her was right: you _could_ have more than one friend. This was an amazing revelation for her. Pride and Kayta struck it off well and when Kayta wasn't helping in the kitchens or talking with Ben and/or Lilika she was sitting with Pride by the riverbank and watching Jenelle play. Fry and Minnow would often come along and soon Fry let some of her surliness fall away. Lark stayed silent, but Kayta swore she saw her smile once. When her roommates (all except Lark) joined one of the arguments with Ben Kayta discovered Fry was as stubborn as a pig and a great arguer and Minnow was brilliant with numbers and memorization. It was a very happy several weeks and Kayta finally felt like she had found the paradise she had seen on her first day of freedom.

Too bad it couldn't last.

As Ben finished off the last of his porridge and turned to Kayta, saying, "Well, last night—" he was suddenly interrupted by the sound of the mess hall doors being banged open. Everyone whirled around to see a group of experiments who all had "1A" embroidered on their shoulders. Even Kayta was knowledgeable enough to realize that this was the top force of the ALFF, the best of the squads of the best of the Camps. Everyone recognized who they were, but no one could figure out _why_ there were here.

Dog-boy, the Sergeant of 5B, stood. He was the closest thing to authority in the mess hall. "Yes?" he barked. "What's your business here?"

"We have orders for the arrest of a criminal staying in this Camp," said a man with some reptile's scales framing his sharp features.

"A criminal! What's he done?"

"We have reason to believe that he has been passing secrets to the League about ALFF whereabouts and plans."

"Well, who is he then? He must not be very good at passing secrets; there've been no problems with the missions."

The man made a sour face at the last remark. "We…we are not at liberty to discuss the consequences of his actions and betrayal." He consulted a paper. "The Jr. Sergeant of Squad 5B. Name's Benjamin Rayton."

There was a squeal as Ben pushed back his chair and rose. The dog-boy collapsed into his own seat, a confused and perplexed expression on his face. He complained feebly. "Ben? No way. He's been on my Squad for years, best Jr. Sergeant there is."

"If you believe that you're either stupid, _sir_, or he's the best actor there is as well."

Kayta stared in shock. Ben a spy? Impossible! Not only was he the best Jr. Sergeant there was, he was probably one of the loyalist members of the ALFF, equal only to Lilika and a few others. You couldn't fake that love, or, rather, obsession they both had. They believed in the ALFF's cause fully and would probably die for it if they had to. No one could act that.

She forced herself to speak. Her voice was shrill and wobbly. "W-what exactly has he done? What's your proof?"

The man looked down his nose at what he no doubt thought of as a worthless child. "I don't believe that's any of your business, miss. And even if it was, I do not have liberty to discuss it."

"You mean you don't know what evidence your Commander has," she accused without thinking. "He could have nothing but hearsay for all you know!"

He gave her a scornful look and then directed his men to capture Ben. Kayta noticed with anger that he only referred to Ben as 'the criminal'. She watched helplessly as they surrounded him and marched away. Through to mass of people she was just able to catch Ben's shocked and confused face. Around her people asked each other questions. _Do you think he did it? No. Yes. Well they did say he did it. Ben? Can hardly believe it. Astounding._

Kayta felt like she was in shock and most likely she was. A few tables away dog-boy, Ben's superior and one of his best friends, felt the same way. While everyone else wondered why they hadn't seen it in Ben, those two and some of the Kayta-Ben discussion group wondered why someone saw it fit to accuse Ben of doing something he didn't do. None of them could find any answers. Not yet anyway.

An arm slung around Kayta's shoulders. She looked up to see Shelly and Lilika, who looked close to tears. Pride was holding Jenelle, who hadn't understood a word; Fry and Minnow looked confused; Lark was, as ever, silent. Kayta pushed herself up and the group of friends left the mess hall. Lilika and Shelly left them at their room and the six girls entered. With a sigh, Kayta said, "I'm gonna go to sleep. I need to think." She curled up on her bed, and began to plan exactly what she was going to do to the person who had wrongfully hurt her friend.


End file.
